Below is an excerpt from Doctor Gaines' short story The Pirate-Ghost of Hole 19, featured in the 2015 collection High Strange Horror from Muzzleland Press.

...To the boys' right, just at the end of the paved path leading out of Pirate Pete's course, was a pirate ship with exaggerated features. It was about the size of a small house and sat in a filmy green artificial pond with concrete shores. The boat was built of warped brownish wood and plaster, and an over-sized sun-bleached plastic parrot that looked like it had had been hit with one too many golf balls sat on the handrail of the main deck. A sign that hung from a single nail on threadbare rope clattered against the side of the ship, proclaiming that this was PIRATE PETE'S PLUNDERING PADDLEBOAT! (even though everybody knew years earlier during the naming of the attraction that it was hardly a thing to be paddled were it a real ship, but it was the only nautical P-word anyone could think of. Parents—mostly dads—frequently stopped and commented quietly to themselves on the inaccuracy and pure stupidity of this sign). The vessel featured three ashy black plaster cannons pointing straight out from its hull at visitors on the path, and occasionally red bulbs in each barrel would pop on and off while a bang noise that was way-too-quiet and completely ineffective emitted from some crackly blown speaker inside the ship. The inner chamber of the ship—the captain's quarters, presumably—had windows all around with colorful glass panes—several of these were smashed in—and a yellow bulb would dim and glow from inside, giving the illusion of candlelight. Lastly was the ship's mast, about fifteen feet tall, which featured a tattered black skull-and-crossbones flag. The weathered wood of the mast looked fully ready to crack in two and fall over at any moment, swinging down to knock little unfortunate Junior's lights out and splat his ice cream cone to the pavement before anybody could yell, “Fore!”

Damian and Richie had nearly reached the wooden arch that led them back out onto Rinky Dink's main grounds when a greenish-purple apparition fizzled into existence in front of Kevin.

“Jus’ be holdin’ yer horses, thar,” said the ghost to Kevin in a high, lilting voice. “Ye’ve got but another task to be completin’ before yer go.”

Find out what happens next by grabbing a copy of High Strange Horror: